Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has warned that fuel prices could have risen by up to KSh 14 per litre if an unauthorised petrol shipment had entered the local market. Speaking on April 7, he revealed that a 60,000-metric-tonne consignment was imported outside the government-to-government (G-G) fuel supply framework, making it significantly more expensive than approved imports.
According to Wandayi, the shipment cost about KSh 198,000 per metric tonne compared to KSh 140,000 under the G-to-G deal, a gap that would have pushed pump prices higher if passed to consumers. He cautioned that bypassing the structured import system risks destabilising fuel supply and undoing efforts made to keep prices in check.
The CS has since directed Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to exclude the consignment from fuel price calculations and ordered a freeze on all related payments as investigations continue. The importing firm has been told to withdraw invoices, while oil marketers have been warned against purchasing the product, as the government moves to prevent artificial price hikes and protect consumers.
